Aethelflaed 2018

Creative ideas & artist submissions sought.

Help Gloucester celebrate one of its most influential historical figures

Summary

Gloucester Culture Trust (GCT) and Marketing Gloucester Limited (MGL) are seeking innovative ideas from artists & creatives to celebrate 1,100 years since the death of Aethelflaed, the most powerful woman of the Anglo-Saxon era, whose remains are buried at St Oswald’s Priory in Gloucester.

We have up to £5,000 available for creative activities to take place between 8th and 12thJune 2018. We aim to commission at least two projects from this budget. (We also have a budget for personal access costs, if required.)

The deadline for submission of ideas is 5pm on22nd February 2018.

Introduction

To mark this significant anniversary, Gloucester City Council has commissioned MGL to deliver a series of celebrations throughout the year. MGL is working with GCT and other partners to ensure these activities support Gloucester’s wider ambition to become a city filled with culture and creativity – a great place in which to live, work and play.

To enrich and enliven these anniversary celebrations, GCT and MGL are seeking public performances, installations and/or participatory events that fire up imaginations, spark conversations and provide an insight into this powerful woman – all in a way that is relevant to today’s audiences.

We are looking for projects that engage and entertain a diverse range of peoplein a creativeway,sowe encourage an imaginative approach to the brief.

The commissions are funded through Gloucester’s Great Place programme, with match funding from Gloucester BID and Gloucester City Council.

Background

Aethelflaed (pronounced Eth-el-fled) was the most powerful woman of the Anglo-Saxon era. Daughter of Alfred the Great, she ruled the kingdom of Mercia, an area extending from Lincolnshire in the northeast, the Wirral in the northwest and as far south as the Thames. She was a successful military strategist, fighting the Vikings, taking and holding land as far north as the border of Yorkshire, and bringing their leaders to pledge loyalty to her.

Aethelflaed came to power at a time when England was made up of many kingdoms, each with its own culture and traditions. Mercia was one of the largest and was fiercely independent. She made Gloucester its spiritual, cultural and learning capital.

Aethelflaed also made a difference nationally. Her military and political leadership laid the foundations for joining England’s numerous kingdoms into the single country we know today.

You can find out more about Aethelflaed and our plans to celebrate her here:

The fearsome lady of Mercia who united a nation and is buried here in Gloucester – but who was Aethelflaed?

"The greatest queen we never had… Diplomat, warrior, scholar and mother."

Our 2018 anniversary activities are all influenced by Gloucester’s 10-year Cultural Vision & Strategy, which aims to put culture at the heart of Gloucester for the good of all. You can read the full strategy online.

Together, we want to transform the city and put it on the cultural map. Through projects and commissions such as these, Gloucester will be known for its distinctive culture, which will be innovative and excellent, quirky and edgy, diverse and community-based with a strong focus on young people. This will help us develop a vibrant city centre, full of things to do which appeal to a range of audiences and which support Gloucester’s on-going regeneration.

Our Aethelflaed anniversary programme will be considered a success if:

  • Local people and organisations collaborated to deliver a well-curated programme
  • Children and young people from Gloucester have a greater understanding of Aethelflaed
  • Other local audiences and participants have a greater sense of local civic pride
  • People travelled from outside the city to take part
  • Audiences and participants have a greater understanding of Aethelflaed
  • Audiences and participants enjoyed themselves
  • The programme engaged with diverse communities in the city who don’t tend to attend city centre events

It’s worth bearing all this in mind when you’re thinking about your plans for this commission – the selection team will want to know how your idea supports the overall goals of the cultural strategy!

The full list of activities confirmed to date are:

Throughout June(and beyond)

Gloucester City Museum exhibition and installations ***

Friday 8th June

Schools’ day at St Oswald’s incl archaeological surveys of the site and other activities

Evening performances at St Oswald’s up to 9pm ***

Saturday 9th June

Anglo Saxon ‘living history’ village set up at St Oswald’s with programme of activity throughout the day incl. demos in e.g. cookery, medicine

Gloucester Civic Trust Children’s Anglo Saxon day at St Michael's Tower e.g. workshops, craft

Gloucester Civic Trust guided tours around the city throughout the day

Daytime and evening performances at St Oswald’s up to 9pm ***

Sunday 10th June

Anglo Saxon ‘living history’ village set up at St Oswald’s with programme of activity throughout the day incl. demos in e.g. cookery, medicine

Civic Trust guided tours around the city throughout the day

Gloucester History Festival’s Aethelflaed talks at Blackfriars

Daytime performances at St Oswald’s

Tuesday 12th June

Evensong at Gloucester Cathedral celebrating 1,100 years to the day since Aethelflaed’s burial

*** We envisage that the commissions will take place at either the City Museum or at St Oswald’s during these times.

Your commission: activity details & timetable

The activity

As long as it creates a public performance or participatory event, your idea could take many forms: films, theatre, music, games, storytelling, art and more – the artform itself is up to you.

Your project should have a visible presence in the city at some point during the period Friday 8th – Tuesday 12th June.

We are seeking EITHER performances/participation activities to take place alongside the living history encampment at St Oswald’s Priory, which is near to Gloucester Cathedral, on Friday 8th or Saturday 9th June OR content to be displayed/experienced/installed at Gloucester’s City Museum on Brunswick Road throughout June.

We recognise that the time is tight and so are looking for prototype ideas, that can test new work and generate interesting, engaging content rather than fully formed projects with very high production values.

The successful artists will be provided with a narrative and detailed timeline of Aethelflaed’s life to support their work. If you would like to see these documents in advance, please let us know.

Audiences

We are interested in engaging with a wide range of people, especially families, at free, drop-in events. We expect proposals to identify who will take part and why.

MGL, GCT and the other network of event partners will lead on marketing the performances/activities.

Technical support & point of contact

At St Oswald’s we will provide radio mics, basic staging if required and basic lighting. Your main point of contact will be Karen Pearson, Festivals Lead, Marketing Gloucester.

If you would like to work in the Museum, we are happy to discuss what basic technical/practical support we can provide for you. Your main point of contact will be Kate Biggs, Gloucester City Council.

Budget

The budget we have for commissions is up to £5,000 to include all fees,materials, production costs and VAT (where applicable). We also have a budget for personal access costs, if required. We are hoping to commission at least two projects from this budget.Your total project budget may include other sources of funding; you will be responsible for securing any additional income that you need.

Criteria for selection

We are expecting a lot of interest in this proposal and will assess applications against the following criteria:

  • Originality: how does your proposal stand out from the crowd?
  • Suitability: how does your proposal meet the brief?
  • Skills & Experience: have you demonstrated your track record in these types of projects?
  • Feasibility: can you deliver the project in the timeframe you have described? How reasonable is your budget?
  • Extra edge: how does your proposal support the wider cultural strategy? Have you highlighted your links to and/or knowledge of Gloucester?

Applications will be considered by:

  • Hollie Smith-Charles, Director, Gloucester Culture Trust
  • Karen Pearson, Festivals Lead, Marketing Gloucester
  • Jill Shonk, Head of Cultural & Trading Services, Gloucester City Council
  • Jess Gordon, Project Manager, Discover DeCrypt & member of Gloucester Heritage Forum
  • Nickie Miles-Wildin, Theatre-maker and trustee, Gloucester Culture Trust

How to apply

If you are interested in this opportunity, please complete and return the proposal form to us by 5pm on Wednesday 22nd February 2018.

Aethelflaed 2018 – Proposal Form

Please ensure you read the information pack before submitting a proposal.

YOUR DETAILS
Artist/Company
Main contact for this proposal
Position (if applicable)
Address
City/Region
Telephone
Email address
Website
Please let us know if you have any access requirements or needs for us to take into account?
YOUR PROJECT
Project Title(20 words max)
Art forms involved
In which Gloucester venue or location do you plan to deliver your activity?
BUDGET
What is the total cost for your project?
How much money are you requesting from Gloucester Culture Trust?
Please attach a budget for your project (please show this net of VAT) It is not essential that you have other investors in the project but if you do please indicate these in the budget.
Are you VAT registered?
Are you set up as sole trader/limited company etc. with HMRC?
DESCRIPTION OF YOUR WORK
  1. Please give a brief description of your creative idea. 300 words max

  1. Please describe what creative output would be generated? (a play, a recital, storytelling, an exhibition, etc) 150 words max

  1. Please indicate who your activity will target as audiences / participants.150 words max

  1. Finally, please provide a statement (written or recorded to camera) about you, your work and why you are interested in this project, including links to website(s) that evidence your previous work.

Support material

You do not have to send any support material with your proposal but if you do please explain above what support material you are sending and in what format;E.g. Link to film, website.

References

You do not have to supply a reference with this proposal, but if you want you can include a letter of support from a professional contact. This would be especially useful if you are an emerging artist /companyor new to this area of work.

Deadline

Please send your completed proposal form for Aethelflaed 2018 to us at so we receive it by 5pm on Thursday 22 February

Successful applicants will be notified by 5pm on Thursday 1st March.

If you would like an informal chat with one of the team, please also email Michelle and this can be arranged.

These commissions are funded through Great Place.

Gloucester Great Place 2017-2020 is supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and the Heritage Lottery Fund. It is managed by Gloucester Culture Trust.